The Ursa Dragon Picture

Second dragon in the '2011 Planetary Dragon Series,' the Ursa dragon(s)!

Ursa meaning bear, and in reference to the Big and Little Dippers or Big and Little Bears of the night sky. These constellations usually shortly follow Orion in the night sky, coming up over the hemisphere, and, in my case, rising over the Appalachian Mountains.

Mythologically speaking, they're called the bears as the 'Big' one is the mother bear watching her 'Little' bear a short distance away. However, someone with no imagination at all quipped how the brightest stars of the back and bodies of the bears resembled a spoon or dipper, thus resulting in the common name of the 'Dippers.' There are stars surrounding the 'spoons' that make up the arms and legs of the 'bears,' but they are fainter and harder to make out in well-lit areas.

These guys are also hailed by navigators as the compass of the sky. By lining up the two front stars of the front of the 'spoon,' one can trace a short line up to the tail end of the Little Dipper, thus finding Polaris, the North Star. Walking towards this star always leads you north. (Very handy if you're lost or just need to find the direction of the Qibla. X) )